Four people have been killed and three others injured in an attack by a wild bear at a forest in Chhattisgarh's Korea district, officials said on Monday.
The incident took place on Sunday evening near Angwahi village under Devgarh forest range when the victims were returning after collecting some forest produce, a forest official said.
But, the bodies could be retrieved in the early hours of Monday after a prolonged rescue operation as the bear was sitting close to the deceased, he said.
Among the three injured people, two received critical injuries and they were admitted to a hospital, while another person was discharged after treatment, he said.
Korea Superintendent of Police Chandramohan Singh said after being alerted on Sunday evening, he and the district collector along with police personnel rushed to the spot, located around 300 km from the state capital Raipur.
The rescue operation could not be immediately launched as the bear was sitting close to the bodies, he said.
Meanwhile, a villager who had climbed a tree to save himself from the animal, was rescued with the help of a JCB machine, he said.
Later, when the bear was chased away into the forest, the four bodies, including of two women, were retrieved around 1 am and sent for post-mortem, the official said.
The kin of all the deceased persons were given an instant relief amount of Rs 25,000 each, he said.
The remaining compensation of Rs 5.75 lakh each will be disbursed after completion of the necessary formalities, the official said.
Forest personnel were keeping a tab on the movement of the bear, he said.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Watch: Man Narrowly Escapes Bear Attack After Entering Its Den Angry Bear Attacks Circus Trainer In Front Of Horrified Audience In Russia 31-Year-Old Woman Dies After Being Chased By A Bear In Slovakia UP Dalit Woman's Body Found In Sack, Family Says Killed For Backing BJP "Do You Sell Cars?": Elon Musk Roasts Jaguar's New Ad, Company Responds Savage Attack On Andhra Pradesh College Student, Attackers Bit His Cheek 'If India Can Make Rocket Sensors, It Can Make Car Sensors Too': ISRO Chief Fact Check: No, Waqf Board Has Not Staked Claim To Mumbai's Siddhivinayak Temple High Court Orders CBI Probe Into Tamil Nadu Liquor Tragedy That Killed 68 Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.